Never Be Alone
by Griever11
Summary: RT4ever's Christmas in July present. Part 3 of 3 is now up. ML. Yes, ITS DONE!
1. Chapter 1

Merry Christmas in July, **RT4ever**! Hope you enjoy this, and the other 2 parts coming up really soon. :D

Wants:

a) Smoosh

b) Fluff

c) Jealous Max

d) Jealous Logan

e) A sibling causing trouble for M/L.

And I'm gonna try and fulfil every one (emphasize on the try) :D .

A million thanks to **Tigrou** for reading through this for me!

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**Never Be Alone **

Chapter 1 

Children's laughter filled the air as Max walked past a park, slightly irritated by the squeals and high pitched screams penetrating the otherwise peaceful surroundings. She squinted and could barely make out the back of her best friend, hurrying into a corner. Once again, she cursed herself for agreeing to go on this wild goose chase with Cindy. Not only was it unusually hot that day, but in agreeing to go with Cindy, she had left her baby at Jam Pony, thinking she would make it straight to Crash from work, and now...

_Now my baby's stuck over there and I'm looking for a woman who may or may not be a figment of Cindy's imagination_.

And, no, she wasn't going to acknowledge that Cindy had said _Logan_ had been with this woman.

"Would you hurry up?" Cindy's indignant voice called out to her.

She looked up and smiled slightly at Cindy, who had come back around the corner, apparently having missed Max behind her. She quickened her steps. If Cindy found this girl quickly, she could still make it back to Jam Pony to make sure her baby was okay.

"Original Cindy saw them over here, like they be decidin' where to eat." She said, pointing to the row of shop houses across the road.

"She sure was fine, boo." Original Cindy added, trying to get some sort of reaction out of Max. She was rewarded by the slight narrowing of Max's eyes and the appearance of a scowl on her face.

"Looks like she's not here anymore, though. Let's go." Max said curtly, turning around and starting to walk away. Cindy reached out and caught her arm, pulling her back.

"Boo, you got a listening problem or something? I said _your man_ was with her. Are you not at all curious about that?"

Max gritted her teeth, not at all comfortable with the myriad of unfamiliar emotions flooding through her as Cindy fixed her with a knowing smile. Logan was _not_ her man, and why in the world would she care if he was with this woman? She could very likely just have been another one of his informants.

"He's not my man. And you're not even sure you saw him. It might have just been you and your overly active imagination. Don't look at me like that." She glared at her friend, becoming more and more frustrated with Cindy, and the ridiculous idea of coming here in the first place.

And yet, Cindy's smirk remained. And, if possibly, it got bigger. Max's suspicion peaked.

"Now, will you look at that?" Cindy drawled, pointing to something behind Max.

Max's head whipped around so fast, a normal person would have gotten a sprain. Max looked at where Cindy was pointing at, and suddenly she felt a surge of annoyance flow through her. There they were, both of them, casually strolling out of the cosy little restaurant. It definitely was Logan, striding proudly with his newly reacquired ability to walk, side by side a blonde, slightly shorter than him.

So what if Cindy was right, so what if that woman was hot? It wasn't like she gave a damn.

Max continued watching them as they walked along the sidewalk slowly, directly across from where she and Cindy were standing. Logan said something to her and the woman put a hand on Logan's shoulders as she laughed. Logan never let her get that close before.

'_Cept for that time on her bike ... just that once. _

But _this_ woman was touching him. Holding his hand.

"Your face is gonna stay that way, boo."

Max turned to Cindy, as if she just realised she was there. She scowled at her, not at all amused she had been so transparent. Screw men. Screw men everywhere.

"Fine, you were right. Are you satisfied? Can we go now?"

Cindy nodded, stifling her laughter as she watched Max stalk away. She quickly stored Max's expression in her memory, to be retold to Kendra over drinks at Crash. She hurried, seeing Max quickly disappearing from her sight.

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There was a sudden blast of noise as the deejay began playing loud music from the speakers. Max welcomed the distraction. Together with the periodic cheers as other people watched bike stunts, the noise proved to be a more preferable form of entertainment than what her two so called friends were talking about.

Her.

And Logan.

And the woman.

Cindy had been very efficient, immediately catching Kendra up with their afternoon activities, resulting in them teasing her, which, after failing to elicit any form of response from Max, turned into a heated debate about how Logan met the blonde, and how it managed to escape Max's knowledge. Max turned away from her friends, seriously thinking about hitting something.

Logan had every right to see whoever he wanted to, whenever he wanted to and it wasn't any of Max's business if he did. Why couldn't they see that? Besides, the woman may have just been an informant, or someone who needed help from Eyes Only. It could have been a totally innocent meeting.

Who are you kidding, Max? There was nothing _innocent_ about Blondie...

Her thoughts were interrupted however, as Sketchy slammed a pitcher of beer on the table, spilling half of its contents on it, and nearly onto her. She pushed her chair away, avoiding the drips from the edge of the table.

"Watch it, FOOL!" Cindy screamed as she stood up.

"I'm sorry, so sorry, I didn't mean to splash it all over..." Sketchy said, not at all feeling sorry and sat himself down beside Max. "What's wrong with you?" He asked Max, eyeing her warily. It was in his experience that a moody Max meant no fun, and, no bailing him out from the pool games that he lost.

"Nothing. What's that?" She answered shortly, pointing to a flier Sketchy was holding, not at all wanting to broach the subject of Logan again, now that Cindy and Kendra had halted their conversation. She snatched it out of Sketchy's hand.

She studied the colourful flier. _Never be alone_ it said. _One night only, free flow drinks, at HALF the price!_

"Is this for real?" She said, asking Sketchy before passing the flier to Cindy. Sketchy nodded. "Yeah, but you have to follow the theme." He said, taking a big gulp of beer, and then burping loudly, eliciting disgusted scowls from the girls.

"What's the theme?" Kendra asked, her eyes shining with excitement at the prospect of a themed party.

"It's written there," Sketchy pointed to the flier. "Never be alone. And you can't come if-if you co-come alone." He slurred, the effect of many hours spent at the bar taking its toll on him.

Max should have realised, by the looks Kendra and Cindy had exchanged with each other that trouble was brewing. It was only when she noticed Kendra, fashioning an evil glint in her eye, and Cindy smiling knowingly at her that she realised they were up to something. And when those two got together, that something was bound to be bad.

"It's perfect." Kendra said. Cindy nodded alongside her, a sly smile forming on her lips.

"What's perfect?" Max asked, reluctantly playing along.

"This, the theme, boo. Original Cindy and Kendra are obviously going together. So that just leaves you, boo! You can ask him-" Original Cindy started, but was cut off by Kendra.

"-him, as in Logan, Mr. Blondie, to go with you! And then," She trailed off, waving her hands at Cindy, indicating for her to conclude the sentence.

"-if he says no," Cindy wiggled her eyebrows.

Max cut their tirade off. "Then I just won't go." She didn't like where this was going. She was already regretting showing her interest in the flier. It wasn't her fault the idea of cheap beer was so appealing. She sighed inwardly at her two friends, Sketchy already lost in la-la land, singing out of tune to an imaginary pre-pulse 'Sexy Back'.

"I'm not asking him, okay? It's not like he's ever accepted all the other times I've asked him to come. This time isn't going to be any different, Blondie or no Blondie." She said. She pushed away from the table and got up. Enough was enough. Kendra and Cindy flashed each other knowing smiles. Max narrowed her eyes at them, irritated and grabbed her jacket from behind the chair.

"Don't wait up." She snapped at them and stormed off.

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_Never be alone. Who came up with that jewel? Can't even enjoy my booze properly without some old romantic sap ruining it. _

She stared out at the city, the wind on top of the Space Needle blowing hard, whipping her hair into a tangled mess. The glimmering lights below reminded her of the little Christmas lights Logan had forced her to hang on his tree. Max stepped closer to the edge and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest.

Logan.

_So what if he's got a new lady friend. It wasn't like I didn't expect it, he was a player before the accident. Now he's walking again, his options are wide open. _

_He's not that kind of guy anymore, though. _

_How does that explain Blondie? _

She ran her fingers through her hair, once more confused by the feelings going through her. She sighed. Only Logan could manage to get under her skin like this. Not that she was going to admit that to anyone anytime soon.

_Maybe those two nut heads got it right on the first go. If I asked him, then... No. He's going to say no anyway, why waste my time? But if I did, though, then that leaves the floor open to further questions about Blondie. Who may still just be an informant. _

_Or his new lady friend. _

_Shit. I knew there was a reason I call those two my friends. _

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End Part 1 of 3

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	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here's part 2.

This doesn't exactly fulfil the 'sibling' part, but I hope 'cousin' is good enough :D

Once again, thanks to Tig for looking through the first draft of this chapter.

Enjoy!

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**Never Be Alone**

Chapter 2

Max hesitated in front of Logan's door.

_This is so wrong. _

_No, this is just like every other time I've asked him to Crash. No big dealio. _

_Yeah, well, there wasn't a Blondie involved _every _other time. _

_Oh well._

She started work with unlocking his door, conveniently forgetting that he'd given her a key the week before after telling her he'd upgraded his security system. It was more fun this way. She grinned triumphantly as she heard the faint click of the lock turning.

_Upgraded my ass. _

She straightened, flipping her messy curls over her head letting them bounce softly on her shoulders before stepping inside. Max was mildly surprised that she didn't hear the sound of the computers whirring or the rapid typing she was so accustomed to. She smiled softly. Maybe the great Eyes Only finally understood the concept of a bedtime. It was, after all, just a little bit past two in the morning, and her invitation could wait until the next morning. She was about to turn around to leave, not wanting to disturb Logan's well earned rest, when she heard the sound of a door opening.

"Logan?" She called out. Maybe he'd woken up and wanted to get a glass of water. Perfect timing.

"Max?"

Logan came around the corner, into Max's view dressed in nothing but a pair of slacks, slung low over his hips. Max couldn't help but stare, the man was hot. His hair was slightly damp and dishevelled.

Max surmised he'd probably just gotten out of the shower. Once again, perfect timing. She raked her eyes downwards, pausing momentarily at his well defined abs. Her inner kitten purred.

"Did you want something?" Logan asked her, leaning against the doorway and folding his arms as though he was suddenly aware of his state of undress. His eyes were bright as he realised she had been checking him out. She smiled back at him mischievously, reluctantly tearing her eyes away from his well defined chest and arm muscles.

"Wanted to ask you something." She said. Logan nodded, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips. There was no way in hell he was with another woman, Max decided selfishly. He was _flirting_ with her.

Wasn't he?

"Come to Crash with me tomorrow night. Things have been slow on the EO front, right? No time like the present to chill, relax and drink till you're drunk." She watched Logan's expression change from curiosity to pure disbelief.

"You come, now, at two in the morning, to ask me to go to Crash with you?"

"You never go with me." She said, as if that answered his question, intentionally ignoring his statement about the time. Max looked around nonchalantly, trying to see if anything was different in the apartment, namely items which would indicate the recent presence of a female lurking around.

_So far so good_.

"And for all the times I've said no, you're asking me again, because?" Logan's voice made her stop her visual investigation and focus back on him.

_He's being difficult today. Maybe he's really sleepy. Poor thing._

"There's a stupid theme this time. Never be alone. They make you come with somebody, or else you're not allowed to go in. It's whack, but booze is half price." Max grinned widely at him, and then bit her lip hopefully as Logan considered. Her smile faltered however as she watched Logan shake his head, and then let out a small sigh.

_Shit, Max. What if those two bozos were right? Don't start begging him, it's pathetic. Don't beg– Maybe pretend to beg. Manipulation 101, remember?_

"Come on, Cale. Just this once. And I promise, I'll never ask again." She pleaded, letting just a little bit of desperation seep into her voice. Logan cocked his head to the side, smiling just a little at the different side of Max he was talking to. He decided he liked this side of Max. Then again, he liked _every_ single side of Max.

"Me?" He asked, stalling.

"Cindy and Kendra are going together. And I'm not even going to consider being Sketchy's date. So what d'ya say?"

"Max..." It looked as though Logan was about to agree and Max grinned. This was _so_ going to prove her two highly mistaken friends wrong.

She never did get to hear what Logan had to say, however, because her attention was immediately focused on the soft patter of footsteps coming out of the guest bedroom. She shifted her body slightly, trying to get a full view of whoever was coming out from the room, obscured by Logan's body. It was as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water in her face.

It was the same blonde she'd seen walking with him that afternoon.

The blonde who just walked out of the guest bedroom. _Her _guest bedroom.

_Shit. Where did that come from? _

Max held back a hiss, not for the first time cursing her feline DNA.

"Looks like you're kinda busy at the moment to make a decision, though." She said, all traces of the earlier, more playful Max disappearing as if she never was there in the first place.

She didn't notice the vehemence in her voice or the slight rise in volume as she spoke. All she could see was the blonde, clad in just an oversized 'Yale' T-shirt which barely reached her thighs walking barefoot across the hall, and then stopping to glance at Logan and Max with a surprised look on her face. Max gritted her teeth, suddenly feeling stupid and dumb.

Logan was walking again, after all. Women fall at his feet all the time. _Blond_e women.

_It's not fair, _she thought suddenly. _I was here first. _I_ didn't care about the chair. _

She looked once more at Logan, narrowed her eyes at him and stormed off without another word.

It was then that Logan turned around, realising the cause of Max's sudden change in demeanour, but before he could stop her, Max was already halfway across the hall, flinging the door open and letting it slam shut loudly as she left.

The woman behind him sniggered.

"Was that Max?" She asked.

Logan nodded, still not quite believing Max had been able to move so fast.

Logan heard her settle herself on the couch and turn on the television. He was torn between running after Max and staying. He stood still for a moment, at a loss as to what to do until his cousin's voice piped up from behind him.

"She looked pretty upset, you know."

Logan shot her a dirty look and went to join her on the couch.

"There was nothing for her to be upset over." He said stubbornly.

Carrie let out a bark of laughter, running her hands through her blonde strands, straightening them out. She really could not understand how he could be so blind. The girl was practically clawing at her with her eyes, and if looks could kill...

"Let me tell you something, dear, clueless cousin of mine. Bling was right about her, about the both of you. She got jealous of me! How can you say there is nothing going on between the two of you?"

"Carrie-" His frustration was now evident. He _wasn't_ clueless. He was well aware of why Max had left. He wasn't that dense. He was, however, regretting his decision to let Bling pick Carrie up from the airport earlier in the day while he was busy with an informant.

"Don't you start, Logan. She's a woman. Women get jealous. Did you not tell her I was coming?"

"_I_ didn't even know you were coming, how was I supposed to tell _her_..." He muttered, averting his eyes from his barely clad cousin. Telling Max though, would have solved everything and he wouldn't be here, fending off ridiculous question from his pesky cousin.

"Will you please go put something on?" He asked, noticing her bare legs dangling beside him.

Carrie smirked, and then walked back into the guest bedroom. Logan sighed.

"I think you better do something to let her know you're not sleeping with me, or anyone else for that matter. Jealous women are dangerous." Her sing song voice carried over into the hall. Logan was irked at how much Carrie was enjoying teasing him. It reminded him of a particular someone else he knew.

"Shut up, will you? Max isn't like other women. She's –"

Carrie re-emerged, donning a pair of slacks, still grinning from ear to ear. "What do you call that then? Does Max usually storm out of here in the middle of an innocent conversation?"

Almost all the time, when she was angry with him. Carrie had gotten it all wrong, however. She assumed Logan was in denial about his feelings. Assumed Logan didn't want to acknowledge the attraction between the two of them. He wasn't in denial though, he was way past that part.

"I'll just go to whatever it was she wanted me to go to at Crash and explain it to her. I can even just call her up tomorrow, after she's calmed down a bit." He said with a sense of finality in his voice. He wanted to drop the subject and get back into bed.

Carrie snorted.

"If Bling's anything to go by, she's going to be one hell of a nut to crack. Just go to her place tonight and apologise to her. I bet it'll make things all better."

Logan shook his head, grabbing the remote and pressing the button to turn the television off.

"I'll do it tomorrow." He said firmly.

"I think your age is getting to you. What happened to Logan, womaniser extraordinaire, huh? You're walking even when the docs say it's impossible, but you're _scared_ to go talk to a woman?"

"Carrie, drop it. There are things you don't understand." Logan said with a hint of anger in his voice. He got up and headed towards his bedroom. Carrie fell silent at Logan's response and realised she'd gone too far. It was easy to forget this Logan wasn't the same Logan she knew from her younger years. Bennett had warned her before her arrival about her cousin's change, but she refused to believe it. This was _Logan_ they were dealing with. Logan, who would dare to do anything if it meant getting the girl. Logan, who would joke with her and tease her at any given opportunity. Logan, from ten years ago.

Maybe there was a bit of truth in Bennett's few words to her before she departed from Los Angeles.

Her cousin just wasn't the same anymore, not since the accident. Granted, she hadn't seen him in nearly five or six years, but she didn't really expect him to change this much. She felt a rush of guilt at how she had teased him about Max and promised herself she'd remedy it the next day. She took one last glance at the Logan's room door, and turned to go back to the guest bedroom.

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Logan lay in his bed, half awake, half asleep as a myriad of thoughts flitted in and out of his head. Carrie was infuriating, as she had always been. What she'd said about him being scared had struck a nerve, no doubt, but he couldn't help but realise that there was a little truth in it.

He was starting to be aware, ever since he'd started walking how much time Max was spending with him and how much more time she was willing to spend _for_ him. He noticed now, how often Max snuck little glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking and he knew this didn't just happen after he'd started walking. That look she'd given him when she entered the apartment earlier brought shivers down his spine. He just didn't want to acknowledge it before. And he wasn't going to say he didn't enjoy it either, Logan took as much liberty as he could to keep Max beside him all the time.

He was, after all, starting to fall for her.

So, no. He wasn't scared _of_ her, it was more of being scared _for_ her.

It wouldn't do any good for either of them if Max had somehow gotten caught and hurt because she was connected or involved with him. Logan couldn't imagine his life without Max. Her asking him out tonight renewed this worry, knowing that it could lead to much more with the two of them. Bling had pointed it out, and so had Original Cindy the few times he'd met her. They were so 'whipped'. Only, they refused to admit it.

Max's reaction to Carrie had cemented his theory, and it just added to the nagging voices in his head which were constantly telling him to back off if he was worried about Max's safety.

Logan closed his eyes, willing his mind to close off the thoughts running around in his head.

It definitely wasn't just him, he concluded. Max _did_ ask him to go to Canada with her, didn't she? She _did_ ask him out tonight. And then there were those stolen glances...

No, he was sure about it now. He was falling and so was she.

He resisted the urge to call her, knowing even if he did, she would just keep ignoring him until she thought he'd suffered enough. And if need be, he could just turn up at Crash and surprise her.

Logan smiled, letting the exhaustion and fatigue lull him into a dreamless slumber, leaving his early morning revelations to be dealt with later in the day.

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End Part 2 of 3

Reviews are most welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Finally, the final instalment of RT4ever's Christmas in July present. Hope you guys enjoy this!

**Never Be Alone**

Chapter 3

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It was one those rare moments Max just wanted to just fall asleep. Usually she didn't mind staying awake, taking pride in her ability to stay awake for days on end and sometimes working on her bike until the wee hours of the morning, and then leaving for work. Usually. This time, she desperately wanted, no, needed, to sleep. Her bike was in fine condition, not to mention running out of gas for her to go cruising aimlessly on the city streets, she hadn't slept in days and the images of the blonde walking out of Logan's guest bedroom were plaguing her mind like a tune that you couldn't get out of your head until you remembered what song it was from.

She tossed, turned and gripped her pillow so tight she imagined it would assume the shape of the pancakes Logan made for breakfast once she let go of it. She closed her eyes, counted sheep, and still all she could think of was the sweet strawberry smell which wafted towards her as the blonde stepped out, in the oversized shirt which she herself had worn once after a very dirty mission went wrong.

She'd arrived home very late, thankful that Original Cindy had already retired for bed so she didn't have to put up with the questions which were bound to be asked. She'd contemplated throwing things around before rationale took over and she decided it would just prove that she was really jealous of that woman, if she started breaking things unnecessarily. And so she thought of doing something remarkably normal, like sleeping.

Which wasn't going very well at all.

She gritted her teeth and willed herself to just push the woman out of her mind and fall asleep. She was tired and extremely frustrated that she'd allowed such a menial thing like a woman to affect her so badly.

_It's because you wish you were that blonde in Logan's arms tonight. _

She growled at herself and got up. It was no use. A quick glance at the glow in the dark numbers of her bedside clock told her she had nearly three hours until she had to get to work. Of all things Manticore could have prepared and trained them for, they couldn't have included a simple sleeping technique for those who needed it.

_It would be highly inappropriate to wake Cindy up now wouldn't it? _

_Yes_, she concluded, _not to mention the questions that you'd have to deal with about Logan once she does. _

She sighed and resigned herself to a very, very long three hours of restlessness.

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Logan, on the other hand, slept soundly and woke up feeling more refreshed than he had felt in a long time. Lingering thoughts about Max made him smile, and the smell of brewing coffee put him in an even better mood and he quickly went to shower.

He emerged, his hair still semi wet and mussed up by the quick towel dry after the shower, and smiled at Carrie sitting on his couch staring out into Seattle.

"Morning, Carrie." He greeted her, pouring himself a cup of coffee and taking a small sip, enjoying the strong flavour before noticing she hadn't made any indication that she'd heard him at all.

"Carrie?"

She looked up at him from where she was sitting on the couch. "I'm really sorry about last night." She suddenly said and it was a few seconds before Logan understood what she was talking about. He'd forgotten how he had snapped at her the night before, and immediately felt guilty for making her feel bad.

"It's okay. For what it's worth, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." He settled himself next to her and drank more coffee. Carrie remained silent, but there was a smile on her face as she detected the subtle change in her cousin's attitude. He was smiling, no sign of the previous night's 'grumpy' Logan anywhere near. She couldn't help it and ignored the nagging voice in her head to stop pushing him. She simply _had_ to try.

"Max seems like a nice girl." She started, watching Logan's features carefully.

Logan's eyes met hers for a moment and she wondered if it was too early to try again.

"I was wondering when that would come up."

Logan said and shot her a teasing smile, a clear sign he was truly okay with the subject now. Carrie didn't know what had happened after Logan had stormed into his room, but whatever it was, it definitely made Logan a much more pleasant person to talk to. Carrie smirked and turned fully to him, pulling both feet under her.

"She's really beautiful, you know."

"Yes, Carrie. I noticed." Logan muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes at her. Carrie fell silent, unsure of how to proceed. She was determined to get more out of her stubborn cousin.

"What was that thing she invited you to yesterday?" She asked casually.

"Just a thing at the bar she hangs out at." Logan noticed a sly grin starting to form on Carrie's lips and hastily added, "- it's nothing big, she always asks me to these things."

"And you've never accepted? Not even once?"

"Once or twice..." He trailed off, not really remembering if he'd accepted any at all. Carrie grinned widely at him and started to speak. Logan cut her off before she could say anything, and told her that yes, he _was_ going to Crash that night to look for her, and that yes, he was going to bring her too. Logan shook his head at Carrie's satisfied smirk. At least he'd managed to make _someone_ happy.

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Logan had arrived with Carrie at Crash around ten, and he could see that everything was in full swing. The music was blaring and there were conveniently more people than he had ever seen in Crash before, some already staggering around half drunk. He had paged Max earlier in the day, but as he had anticipated, she didn't call him back, and so here he was.

Logan couldn't see Max anywhere. He saw her friends though, Sketchy, busy chatting up a girl who probably didn't even know she was being talked to, and Herbal in a corner with some other bike messengers Logan had recognised from the few times he had picked her up from work. But neither Max, nor her two girlfriends were anywhere in sight. Carrie had darted off to the bar the minute she stepped inside the club and Logan was left standing, feeling slightly out of place near the entrance and at a loss as to what to do next.

A small tap on his shoulder made him turn and he smiled.

"Cindy, hi." He said, relieved. He noticed the look on Cindy's face and his smile faltered a little. She reminded him of his Aunt Margo that time she discovered Logan had accidentally allowed Bennett too close to a Christmas fire and he nearly had both his eyebrows burnt off.

Scary.

"What 'chu doing here?" She asked, her eyes narrowing and Logan couldn't help but notice the huge amount of glitter that had been applied onto her eyelids.

Cindy had every right to be slightly angry. Her home girl had spent the entire day moping around, barely speaking to anyone as she did her runs for Normal. It was only after being pestered by Cindy, and then by Kendra when she joined them for lunch, that Max related to them about seeing the blonde in his apartment. It was then decided that Max needed to go to the party at Crash anyway just to let off some steam, and that the three of them would go together.

Cindy fixed Logan with the dirtiest look she could muster. Anyone capable of messing with her boo upside down like that deserved the worst.

"I'm looking for Max. She said she'd be here tonight." Logan managed, before Kendra, dressed in a tight top and the tiniest skirt Logan had ever seen in his life, walked up behind Cindy and fixed him with another angry glare as well. She lifted her eyebrows at him as if to say "You don't have any business here. Go away. Now." Logan swallowed.

What _exactly_ had Max told them?

"I wanted to ah... talk to her, explain things." He quickly added, flashing them a quick smile.

Cindy and Kendra exchanged glances. He stood helplessly in front of them, not at all understanding the silent communication between them.

"She's over there." Original Cindy finally said, still looking slightly pissed off as she pointed to somewhere behind Logan, and Kendra nodded, a dreamy smile suddenly appearing on her face.

"Getting real cosy with that hunka muscle by the bar." Kendra said.

That made Logan turn around. She hadn't been there before when he was looking around, but he spotted Max almost immediately now, leaning against the bar, a beer in one hand chatting with a guy with muscles which could rival the nearest Red. She was dressed casually, normal jeans and a red sweater, but she was still breathtaking. She laughed at something the man had said, and Logan felt like walking over there and strangling him.

"Who are you here with anyway? You can't come in unless you got a partner." Kendra said, and Logan turned back to look at her. Suspicious looks now crossed both their faces, and Logan was quick to speak before they could draw their own conclusions.

"My cousin, Carrie. She's here for the week, taking a break from work. She's here somewhere." Logan explained, waving his hand generally around the club. Realization dawned upon the two women.

"Cousin." Kendra said to Cindy, receiving a nod in reply from her friend. They exchanged another meaningful look with each other, leaving Logan in no doubt that Max had told them of her encounter with Carrie last night.

He glanced back at Max, still chatting easily with the man and he felt a surge of jealousy rise in him. The fact that the man wasn't too bad on the eyes didn't help the situation and Logan started to wonder if this was what Max got up to whenever she frequented the bar.

If so, it definitely was a lack of better judgement on his part to have never accepted her invitations. At least he could have saved her from talking people like that man, clearly just out to get laid that night. He made a mental note reminding himself to accept next time she invited him. If she ever did again, anyway.

Logan didn't recognise him, and from Kendra's earlier reaction, confirmed that he wasn't a friend from Jam Pony either. Casting one last look at them, he turned back to the two women and smiled at them.

"Excuse me." He said, and then after receiving knowing smiles in return from the women, he turned around and headed towards Max, knowing that he wasn't going to let Max spend a moment more with the sleazy guy.

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Max laughed politely. She was barely listening but she still laughed. The man opposite her grinned, and Max knew it was going to break his heart once he realised she wasn't going to make any of his fantasies come true that night. She didn't normally do this. Chatting with some random, although kind of cute guy, actually listening to the crap the man was saying. Normally, she would brush guys like him off, knowing they were a waste of time and hang out with her friends.

Tonight though, Max wanted to let go. Hell, she was entitled to some fun too, wasn't she? And so, after convincing Cindy she would be fine on her own, she settled by the bar and decided to indulge the man who had very nicely offered to buy her a beer. To his credit, he seemed to be slightly more decent than the other men she'd had the unfortunate luck of meeting. At least she'd get free beer from all her trouble with this one.

She smiled at him sweetly as he made a nice comment about her shirt. His name was Robin, he said, introducing himself to her as he came to stand beside her. He was cute. Not hot, but cute, she concluded. She noticed he had dimples when he smiled and his hair was a nice shade of brown, probably dyed because they were nearly black at the roots. She could see he had muscles beneath his shirt, and his arms were solid.

_Pretty good looking guy..._

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, and was on an immediate alert. She glanced around, caught a movement at the corner of her eye and turned slightly. She felt her pulse pick up and she swallowed.

Logan.

Logan was walking to her. She didn't know what he was doing in Crash, not like she cared anyway, but here he was, walking directly towards her with a small smile gracing his handsome features. He was cleanly shaved and his hair was spiked up more than usual. The dark blue shirt accented his broad chest very nicely and Max gave him the once over appreciatively. His eyes twinkled at her beneath his glasses and she realised now how Robin paled in comparison.

Now _this _is hot.

_Yeah, and guess who was looking at him being hot all night, last night? You're supposed to be mad at the guy_.

She turned away quickly and faced Robin again, determined to ignore Logan for as long as she could. Logan however, had other plans. He came close and stopped beside her. Robin noticed him trying to get her attention and straightened up, casting an irritated look at him.

Max mentally chuckled. Boys.

"Can I help you?" He asked politely, moving so that he was blocking Max from Logan's view. Max moved away, slightly annoyed. She wanted to watch this. Robin's eyes never left Logan's, each challenging one another in a silent male dominance thing she would never understand. Women, in her experience watching Cindy and Kendra, would just straight up give it to the other woman.

While some others just storm irrationally out of penthouses without explanations.

Max quickly banished that thought and watched as Logan smiled back, equally politely and indicated towards her with a small nod of his head.

"I want to talk to Max." There was no hostility in the way he said it, but one could tell that he expected his wishes to be complied with. Max sensed, however, that Robin didn't like the way Logan was dismissing him and seeing the way Robin narrowed his eyes at Logan told Max it was time to intervene. She touched Logan's arm, making him turn to face her and she looked back at Robin apologetically.

Robin nodded slowly, gritting his teeth and gave one last suspicious look at Logan before making his way reluctantly to the other end of the room.

"He doesn't look like a very nice guy." Logan said, after Robin was far enough out of hearing range. He leaned back onto the bar counter so that he was now standing side by side with Max.

"You came all the way here to tell me that? I was having a nice conversation." She snapped, still refusing to make eye contact with him.

"No, and it looked like it was pretty one sided." Logan shot back. He realised Max was really still angry with him and softened his expression. She wasn't looking at him however, instead gazing blankly into the crowd.

Max folded her arms, resisting the urge to look at Logan. She swept her gaze around the room and took another mouthful of beer before Logan decided to speak again.

"See that woman over there?" He pointed to a foosball table surrounded by people. Max felt her grip on the mug tighten and hastily put it back onto the bar before she broke it. She had spotted the blonde as one of those cheering by the table.

_The_ blonde. Logan must have came to Crash with her.

"As clear as glass." She replied, her mood starting to darken.

"That's my cousin, Carrie. She's staying with me for a while. You left yesterday before I could introduce you to her." The way Logan said the last bit made her turn to him, and it was then Max realised Logan was teasing her.

Max felt her cheeks colour almost immediately and suddenly felt stupid. She lifted her eyes to look at him.

_She's his cousin. Look who's laughing now, Maxie! Freaking cousin...Cindy is going to have a wonderful time with this. _

Logan obviously had noticed her sudden realisation and was now intent on staring back at her with an arrogant smirk on his face. She couldn't bring herself to look away from him now. His eyes spoke a thousand words, sparkling under the soft lights and conveyed the apology he had came here for in the first place. She really didn't think he should be apologising for anything and that she was the one who should be feeling bad about storming out on him without cause.

She smiled softly, and Logan returned it.

_Everyone's entitled to a little bout of irrationality once in a while. _She decided.

"Looks like she's having fun." She murmured, watching as Carrie left the foosball table where she also spotted Kendra and Cindy, and moved towards the other patrons on the dance floor when the DJ struck up a slower tune.

Suddenly, without a single word of notice, Logan grabbed her hand and had dragged her onto a corner of the dance floor. She resisted and pulled back, but Logan wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in a scent that was uniquely 'Logan' and hugged her to him.

If it was any other day, _or person,_ she mentally added, he would have been lying in a pool of his own blood for even attempting a stunt like that. But this was Logan, and she had had a pretty shitty day to begin with. A little comfort in a corner of Crash where no one was really watching was okay. Especially when Logan was holding her to him like he was never going to let go. She decided this was okay, provided it was a once in a lifetime thing. She shut her eyes momentarily and just swayed with Logan silently before she pushed him a way gently and looked up.

There was something in his eyes, in the way he was looking at her that told her something about him had changed. Something big, and it was something to do with her. There was an obvious rise in the temperature as she continued looking at him and she swallowed again. She was crossing into dangerous territory here.

"Sorry for being an ass." She said quietly, wanting to break the silence.

Logan laughed and brought a hand to rest on the side of her face. His thumb stroked her cheek, sending comforting shivers down her spine and Max wondered when exactly they had crossed that thin line which allowed him to do these things to her. She was freaking _dancing_ with him, and in public no less. Her heart was beating like she'd just completed a marathon.

"It's okay. A little jealousy is okay once in a while." Logan said, once again teasing her. She pulled back further, getting a better look at his handsome face, his eyes shining bright blue.

"Says the one who nearly beat up a guy who was just innocently talking to me." She retorted, remembering Robin and suddenly feeling slightly sorry for the guy. Then again, Robin never even had the slightest chance in the first place.

"I don't think he was that innocent." Logan remarked, earning a snort from Max before she leaned back into Logan's broad chest and placed her hands on around his shoulders as Logan pulled her back into his warm embrace.

She knew she would get an earful from Cindy and Kendra if they were watching her. At the moment she didn't care. It was as if she and Logan had reached a mutual agreement, a silent understanding of how things were changing between them. The scary thing was that she liked it, and she had a feeling Logan was kind of liking it too. She sighed, realising this was probably going to come back and bite her in the ass in some way or other.

Logan placed a kiss in her hair before resting his head on top of hers, and it was then she made her decision.

Bite her in the ass or not, at least she wasn't alone in it.

00000

End Part 3 of 3.

Well, that's it then. My first completed multi-chapter fic. WOOHOO! Reviews much appreciated.


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